Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-22
THE ACCIDENT.
Wnc Train Arrives Here at Half
Fast One O'Clock.


The train due here yesterday after
noon at o'clock from Santa Barbara
met with an accident about half-past
2 O'Clock, nine miles the other side of
Newhall. The train was proceeding
at the rate of about twenty miles an
hour, and as the road was
new and had been thoroughly
tested, the accident when it oc-
Cured came with suddenness that
surprised even those who had been
most apprehensive at the start The
engine passed safely over the rails
which spread and threw the tender
off the track. This in turn dragged
the baggage and one passenger car
down q bank which was almost
twenty-five feet to its foot. There
were six cars besides the baggage
car in the train and all
were jerked off the track
and after running few feet over the
ties came to sudden stop, piling the
passengers and car furniture in heap
at the front end of the cars. The scene
at this time was very alarming, for in
. heap at the bottom OF the bank were
the tender, baggage car and the pas
senger car, with the windows and
gearing torn and twisted. From the
windows those who had been in the
smoker, which rolled down, we're seen
crawling out and from under the bag
6age car came the express messenger,
who had miraculously escaped. As
the baggage car turned over he jumped
or fell out of the door, and when he
reached the ground fell into baranca
which was two feet deep. As he fell |
in the baggage car tumbled on top of
him and there was not an inch to
spare. He crawled out from under
the car at the same time that the
wife Of the baggage master, who had
been in the car with him, crawled out |
of the window. A few seconds after
ward those in the cars which had not
been thrown down rushed to the fall
len cars and aided in extricating those
who had been injured or who were too
frightened to get out from the rub
bish. 1t was fortunate that there
were not more people in the
smoking car, for in such "a case the
list of the wounded would have
been greater. As it was, there were
six who received rather painful if not
serious injuries. Il. p. Waite was cut
on the head, and for time it was
Thought that his injuries were serious.
At ii O'Clock last night, however, he
was resting easy and, from appear
Ances, will be about in day or two. +.
e. Baldwin, of Pasadena, was the most
seriously injured, having been bruised
shout ii e head and, it was thought,
Snfernally injured. Both he and Mr..
Waite wers left in the Pullman car at
the scene of the disaster. Peter
Ward was bruised about the side; j.
Il. Clark received scalp wound; G.
G. Sweet had his side injured, and D. |
M. Berry had his back strained. The
balance OF the passengers escaped
with only a severe shaking up. |
Shortly after the wreck occurred a |
freight train pulled up at the scene,
and the trainmen lent their aid to the |
unfortunate passengers. A few min
utes afterwards special excursion
train of ten cars bound for San Fran
cisco arrived on the scene, and there
being hotel car attached, the de-
1ayed passengers did not suffer for
want of food. A wrecking
train was sent from this city
Immediately upon the receipt
of the news, and shortly after
ward two cars were sent to the scene
to transfer the passengers. This train
did not arrive here until half-past l |
O'Clock this morning, and would prob
ably not have reached here that early |
If the passengers had not in
sisted on being brought into
town. One of the interesting
scenes was that of a photographer |
who had been on the train, ON the side |
of the hill, few minutes after the |
accident taking views of the scene. |
The railroad company are not thought |
to be blamed for the accident since
the spreading of the rails could not
have been foreseen. The train was
rounding a curve on the side of hill
and the sun or the burning of
gas in the earth had caked
It so as to cause it to give
away. This probably loosened the
earth, and gave the rails chance to
spread to the side nearest the en-
bankment. The many passengers
expressed thankfuiness that the ac-
cident was no worse